Suspect In Hartford Shooting Arraigned

Bail $1 Million

HARTFORD — A suspect in several street and business robberies who allegedly fired on a police officer early Thursday was arraigned this morning in Superior Court in Hartford.

Daniel Quinonez, 30, is charged with criminal possession of a pistol or revolver, carrying a pistol without a permit, attempted first-degree assault and machine guns.

Superior Court Judge John Cronan set bond at $1 million.

Public Defender Robert Famiglietti said Quinonez, who admits to having a bad heroin addiction, appeared "dope sick" when Famiglietti spoke to him earlier in the morning.

"If he was dope sick at the time, he may have been dope sick when he waived his Miranda Rights," and gave police a statement admitting to two burglaries and the shooting, Famiglietti said.

He said $1 million bond was appropriate for a murder arraignment, not the charges his client is facing.

But Cronan said this morning's court proceeding came close to being a murder arraignment. Quinonez is scheduled to return to court Oct. 13.

Quinonez was convicted in 2008 of criminal possession of a firearm and was on probation, according to court records. He has other convictions for assault and failure to appear, according to court records.

He was taken into custody after a massive manhunt that flooded the Franklin and Maple avenue areas with dozens of patrol officers, swat team members and detectives.

Police said they've recovered the gun used to fire on the officer and to commit what police termed "machine gun robberies." The Tec-9 is not an automatic weapon, but a semi-automatic handgun, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Early versions of the gun could easily be converted to fully automatic weapons, meaning the weapon would fire as long as the trigger was pressed

Police said they are applying for arrest warrants for the robberies.

Quinones was arrested during a motor vehicle stop on Franklin Avenue about 1:30 p.m. Police continued their search for the weapon, however, and raided 125-127 Franklin Ave. in search the gun and a man Quinones reportedly gave it to. Police did not say where they recovered the gun.

Thursday's drama began shortly after 4 a.m. Police got a call at 4:17 a.m. reporting an armed robbery at a Mobil gas station/convenience store on Washington Street. A task force had been hunting for the "machine gun robbers" and about 5:20 a.m. an officer spotted a man matching the Mobil robber's description on Whitmore Street, police said.

When the officer tried to stop the man, the man opened fire. The officer was not injured, and the shooter fled into 100 Whitmore St. Officers surrounded the house and a SWAT team responded. Police also evacuated several homes along Whitmore and school officials closed the nearby M.D. Fox Elementary School at 470 Maple Ave. because of the police activity. A CT Transit bus was placed at Barry Square for residents to wait while police did their work. Residents were able to return to their homes before noon.

The SWAT team checked 100 Whitmore, but did not find the shooter. Officers continued their search into the afternoon, chasing down tips from the public.

Roberts described Quinones as a "prime suspect" in the machine gun robberies and said getting him off the street was a priority for police.

"He has no regard for the general public," Roberts said.

Roberts said he was also troubled by the fact that again a Hartford police officer has been fired upon. Three officers have been shot at in the past twelve months. Two were struck by gunfire, but survived.

"I'm pleased no one got hurt. But when someone has a firearm of that magnitude and he fires upon a police officer, we take that very seriously," Roberts said..

Anyone with information is asked to call Hartford Crime Stoppers at 860-722-TIPS (8477).